Scalp Nape Hood

ABSTRACT

A protective hood, such as a firefighter&#39;s hood, has a scalp section, nape section, left, right and throat section, through which portions of a wearer&#39;s face are exposed. The scalp section and nape section are made from a heavier insulated fire resistant material, whereas the left, right and throat section are made from a lighter insulated fire resistant material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application derives priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/961,662, filed on Jul. 23, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a protective hood, such as a firefighter's hood. The hood is designed to provide protection while fighting fire.

2. Brief Description of Related Art

Protective hoods exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,972,520, 5,090,054, 5,83,132, have respective head-covering and shoulder-covering portions made from similar, comparatively heavier, thermally insulative material, except that upper head covering portions are made from comparatively lighter material, such as mesh or netting, which allows the thermal energy to pass readily.

Protective hoods exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,662,375, 6,766,534 have an anterior head covering section made from comparatively heavier, thermally insulative/heat reflective material, whereas the upper head covering section and the other sections, or a selected one of the other sections, are made from similar, comparatively lighter material, such as mesh or netting, whereby to allow heat to pass readily through those sections made from comparatively lighter material.

Protective hoods exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,549 has at least one area therein adapted to overlie the ears of the wearer made of perforated heat resistant material to enable a wearer to have more rapid awareness of temperature changes in the environment than conventional areas without such an area.

Protective hoods exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,556 have a lower neck-covering and shoulder-covering sections that differ from each of the other sections in thermal insulation properties, and moisture barrier properties, or in one or two of those properties. Protective hoods exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,829,784 have an inner bib portion, and an outer bib portion.

Protective hoods of related interest are exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,217, U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,065, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,360.

Protective hoods of the type noted above are worn not only by firefighters but also by rescue workers, race car drivers, and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a hood, with a heavier insulated fire resistant knitted or woven or fleece material used at the scalp section and nape section. Heavier insulation is needed in these two areas when the hood is used during firefighting operations.

Temperatures in a structural fire routinely reach 275-400 degrees Fahrenheit. Ten minutes of exposure in a room with a temperature of 275-400 degrees Fahrenheit at 3-4 feet above the floor can heat the interior of a helmet to 229 degrees Fahrenheit. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that heat will transfer will occur in the direction from the hotter body (the room) to the cooler body (the scalp). Heavier insulation at the scalp reduces the heat transfer rate from the heated environment to the scalp. Physiologists have verified the head is primary area for the body to absorb heat as a result of blood “pooling” in this area. Of course if the heat transfer rate is reduced to the scalp, the magnitude of the stress upon the firefighter is greatly reduced.

The heavier insulation at the nape section of the hood will help protect a firefighter from receiving burns from falling embers, and also protects the hypothalamus located near the neck cervical vertebrae C-1. The hypothalamus regulates body temperature and it is important to protect it from heat so it functions properly.

In addition should a firefighter have to remove ones helmet or other protective equipment to exit the heated environment through a small opening in a wall or basement window, the heavier insulation to the scalp and nape sections will help to protect the firefighter. The left, right and throat section are made a lighter insulated fire resistant, knitted, woven or fleece material.

This comparatively lighter section protects a firefighter from conductive, convective, and radiant heat transfer but does not greatly impede the transfer of sound waves when communications are received by the ears and made by vocal cord vibrations via a radio that is held against the hood that is in contact with the throat while transmitting a communication.

When the protective hood is worn portions of the wearers face are exposed that are usually protected by a facemask. The heavier insulated material covers the scalp section without interfering with the majority of the head band area of the helmet (not shown). The heavier insulated material covers the nape section. The lighter insulated material covers the left, right and throat section. A stretchable band such as elastic is sewn around the circumference of the neck to ensure the nape section remains in place.

It is an object of this invention to provide a firefighter hood with insulated fire protection that reduces the heat transfer rate from a heated environment to critical scalp and nape by targeting hood protection in those areas with heavier insulated fire resistant material, as compared to the lighter insulated fire resistant material used on the left, right and throat sections, whereby not interfering with helmet fitting, and communications.

Broadly, this invention contemplates that one of the heavier fire resistant insulated material sections may be made from comparatively lighter insulated fire resistant material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a right side elevation view of the protective hood with heavier insulated fire resistant scalp, nape sections and lighter insulated fire resistant left, right and throat section with portions of the firefighters face exposed with a stretchable band material around the neck a constituting a first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the protective hood with heavier insulated fire resistant in scalp, nape sections and lighter insulated fire resistant left right and throat section with portions of the firefighters face exposed with a stretchable band material around the neck constituting a first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a right side elevation 1 view of the protective hood with heavier insulated fire resistant scalp and lighter insulated fire resistant nape, left, right and throat sections with a stretchable band material around the neck constituting a second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the protective hood with heavier insulated fire resistant nape and lighter insulated fire resistant scalp, left, right and throat sections with a stretchable band material around the neck constituting a third embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a protective hood 100 constituting a first embodiment of this invention has a scalp section 110, a nape section 130, left, right and throat section 120 with an opening 122 through which portions of a wearer's face are exposed when the hood 100 is worn. A stretchable band 140 is stitched around the circumference of the neck to hold the nape section in place. Whereas the scalp section 110 and nape section 130 are made from comparatively heavier insulated fire resistant material, left, right and throat section 120 is made from comparatively lighter insulated fire resistant material. Stretchable band 140 is made from elastic. The respective sections 110, 120, 130 are sewn together.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a protective hood 200 constituting a second embodiment of this invention has a scalp section 210, a nape section 230, a left, right, throat section 220 with an opening 222 through which portions of a wearer's face are exposed when the hood 200 is worn. Stretchable band 240 is stitched around the circumference of the neck to hold the nape section in place. Whereas the scalp section 210 is made from comparatively heavier insulated fire resistant material and the nape section 230 and left, right and throat section 220 is made from a comparably lighter insulated fire resistant material. Stretchable band 240 is made from elastic. The respective sections 210, 220, 230 are sewn together.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, a protective hood 300 constituting a third embodiment of this invention has a scalp section 310, a nape section 330, a left, right, throat section 320 with an opening 322 through which portions of a wearer's face are exposed when the hood 300 is worn. Stretchable band 340 is stitched around the circumference of the neck to hold the nape section in place. Whereas the nape section 330 is made from comparatively heavier insulated fire resistant material and the scalp section 310 and left, right and throat section 320 is made from a comparably lighter insulated fire resistant material. Stretchable band 340 is made from elastic. The respective sections 310, 320, 330 are sewn together.

Examples of insulated fire resistant materials for use with the present invention include knitted, woven, fleece aramid polymer material, such as “Nomex”, a polybenzamidazole “PBI” fiber, an aramid fiber such as “Kevlar”, “Carbon X”, “Dragonfur Nomex”, or a combination or blend of these similar materials. Lighter fire resistant perforated materials such as mesh and netting that readily allow heat transfer are not insulated and not used in the construction of the hood.

Because the protective hoods 100, 200, 300 provide heavier insulated fire resistant materials that target protection to the critical scalp and or nape sections, and use lighter insulated fire resistant material on the left, right and throat section, and eliminate other coverings and bibs, they are expected to be less cumbersome and more comfortable to wear as compared to prior protective hoods.

Although the preferred embodiments of the Scalp Nape Hood for firefighters of this invention have been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts. 

1. A protective hood comprising a scalp section, a nape section, a left, right and throat section, that joined together encloses a persons head and neck, leaving a portion of a persons face exposed, wherein the scalp section and nape section are made from heavier insulated fire resistant material, whereby to slow the transfer of heat to the scalp and nape, wherein the left, right and throat section are made from a lighter insulated fire resistant material.
 2. A protective hood of claim 1, wherein the nape section is made from a lighter insulated fire resistant material.
 3. A protective hood of claim 1, wherein the scalp section is made from a lighter insulated fire resistant material.
 4. A protective hood of claim 1, wherein a band made from a stretchable material is joined around the circumference of the neck, whereby to hold the nape section in place.
 5. A protective hood comprising a scalp section, a nape section, a left, right and throat section, that joined together encloses a persons head and neck, leaving a portion of a persons face exposed, wherein the scalp is made from heavier insulated fire resistant material, whereby to slow the transfer of heat to the scalp, wherein the nape, left, right and throat section are made from a lighter insulated fire resistant material.
 6. A protective hood of claim 5, wherein a band made from a stretchable material is joined around the circumference of the neck, whereby to hold the nape section in place.
 7. A protective hood comprising a scalp section, a nape section, a left, right and throat section, that joined together encloses a persons head and neck, leaving a portion of a persons face exposed, wherein the nape section is made from heavier insulated fire resistant material, whereby to slow the transfer of heat to the nape, wherein the scalp, left, right and throat section are made from a lighter insulated fire resistant material.
 8. A protective hood of claim 7, wherein a band made from a stretchable material is joined around the circumference of the neck, whereby to hold the nape section in place.
 9. A protective hood comprising a scalp section, a nape section, a left, right and throat section, that joined together encloses a persons head and neck, leaving a portion of a persons face exposed, wherein the scalp, nape, left, right and throat sections are made from heavier insulated fire resistant material, whereby to slow the transfer of heat.
 10. A protective hood of claim 9, wherein a band made from a stretchable material is joined around the circumference of the neck, whereby to hold the nape section in place.
 11. A protective hood comprising a scalp section, a nape section, a left, right and throat section, that joined together encloses a persons head and neck, leaving a portion of a persons face exposed, wherein the scalp, nape, left, right and throat sections are made from lighter insulated fire resistant material, whereby to slow the transfer of heat.
 12. A protective hood of claim 11, wherein a band made from a stretchable material is joined around the circumference of the neck, whereby to hold the nape section in place. 